Preview Roundups
March 07, 2020
Wisconsin at Indiana 12:00 PM ET
Wisconsin can claim at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2015 with a win Saturday at Indiana. The No. 24 Badgers are the hottest team in the conference, having won seven in a row entering their final game of the regular season.
Auburn at Tennessee 12:00 PM ET
No. 15 Auburn saw its 19-game home-court winning streak end earlier in the week and looks to end the regular season with a positive result when the Tigers visit surging Tennessee for an SEC matchup Saturday afternoon. Auburn has dropped four of its last six contests after falling 78-75 against Texas A&M on Wednesday to finish 16-1 at home and sit in a three-way tie for second in the league with one game to go.
Villanova at Georgetown 12:00 PM ET
Villanova's hopes of earning a share of the Big East title will come down to the final day of the regular season, when the 12th-ranked Wildcats visit Georgetown on Saturday prior to another key conference battle. Later in the day, Seton Hall will visit Creighton in hopes of winning the league crown outright.
Marquette at St. John's 12:00 PM ET
The late-season struggles for Marquette are entering crisis mode ahead of the regular season finale Saturday in a Big East Conference game at St. John's. Losing to good teams - as the Golden Eagles have done four times in the last month - can be excused, but falling to the worst team in conference in DePaul and potentially to the Red Storm is a different matter.
South Carolina at Vanderbilt 12:30 PM ET
South Carolina continues to keep its faint NCAA tournament hopes alive, but it can ill afford a slip-up at Vanderbilt on Saturday with the SEC Tournament tipping off next week in Nashville. The Gamecocks topped Mississippi State 83-71 on Tuesday to win for just the second time in their past five games, but they likely need a sustained run through the conference tournament next week to earn an NCAA at-large bid.
Kentucky at Florida 1:00 PM ET
Kentucky cemented its status as the SEC's regular-season champion and No. 1 overall seed for the conference tournament last weekend, but what is less certain is where Florida will end up when the dust settles this weekend. The Gators look to guarantee themselves a No. 2 seed and a double-bye next week when they host the sixth-ranked Wildcats ion Saturday in the regular-season finale for both programs.
Baylor at West Virginia 1:00 PM ET
Fourth-ranked Baylor remains in contention for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and looks to complete the regular season with a victory when it visits West Virginia in Big 12 play on Saturday. The Bears also could claim a share of the Big 12 crown if they beat the Mountaineers and top-ranked Kansas loses to Texas Tech.
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame 2:00 PM ET
After tough losses at Wake Forest and home to Florida State, Notre Dame can't afford to fall asleep in its regular-season finale at home against Virginia Tech. Even with a win this weekend, the Fighting Irish will need some wins in the ACC Tournament to force the hand of the NCAA Tournament committee.
Georgia at Louisiana State 2:00 PM ET
LSU already has assured itself of a first-round bye in next week’s SEC tournament, but it seeks to enter the postseason with momentum when it hosts Georgia on Saturday in the regular-season finale. The Tigers sit in a three-way tie for second place with Auburn and Florida in the league standings, but they committed 35 fouls that led to 54 Arkansas free throws in Wednesday’s 99-90 road loss - LSU’s sixth defeat in its last nine games following a 17-4 start.
Rutgers at Purdue 2:00 PM ET
Rutgers looks to solidify its spot in the NCAA Tournament when it visits Purdue on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights knocked off ninth-ranked Maryland 78-67 on Tuesday to take another step towards ending a 29-year March Madness drought, and they hope to conclude a memorable regular-season by surpassing the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1982-83.
Kansas at Texas Tech 2:00 PM ET
The absence of Udoka Azubuike for most of last year was one reason why Kansas was unable to secure a 15th consecutive Big 12 regular-season crown, but his dominant play down the stretch in 2019-20 has Bill Self's squad back in its customary place. The top-ranked Jayhawks have already claimed at least a share of their 62nd regular-season conference title and look to win the Big 12 outright Saturday when they visit Texas Tech.
Seton Hall at Creighton 2:30 PM ET
A first-round bye in next week's Big East Tournament is up for grabs Saturday when Seton Hall visits Creighton. A win for the Pirates - the nation's seventh-ranked team - will provide them with an outright title, but a Bluejays victory will result in a tie and give No. 14 Creighton a share of the title and the top seed thanks to tiebreaker advantages over Seton Hall and Villanova - assuming the latter can win at Georgetown earlier in the day.
Alabama at Missouri 2:30 PM ET
A pair of teams looking for a little momentum going into next week's SEC Tournament square off Saturday when Alabama visits Missouri. The Crimson Tide are coming off a home loss to Vanderbilt on Tuesday - the ninth straight game they've alternated wins and losses - while the Tigers have dropped two in a row following Wednesday's setback at Ole Miss.
Colorado at Utah 2:30 PM ET
Colorado’s late three-game swoon has knocked it out of the Pac-12 lead and national polls. The Buffaloes can still secure a top-four finish in the league and the corresponding first-round bye in next week’s conference tournament, but they will need to win at Utah in Saturday afternoon’s regular-season finale for both teams.
UCLA at Southern California 3:15 PM ET
UCLA can complete a remarkable turnaround to a season that began with an 8-9 start, including a shocking home loss to Cal State Fullerton, and notch at least a share of its first Pac-12 basketball title since 2013 on Saturday afternoon. But standing in the way of the 32nd conference championship in school history is crosstown rival USC which handed the Bruins a 74-63 defeat earlier this season at Pauley Pavilion.
Louisville at Virginia 4:00 PM ET
No. 10 Louisville and No. 22 Virginia both have their sights set on the regular-season ACC title when the Cardinals visit the Cavaliers on Saturday. Louisville enters the last day of the regular season tied atop the conference standings with Florida State but on the wrong side of the tiebreaker between both teams, while Virginia and Duke sit a game back with several scenarios still in play for the top four seeds.
Penn St. at Northwestern 4:00 PM ET
No. 20 Penn State looks to end its late-season slide when it visits Northwestern on Saturday. The Nittany Lions were in the thick of the Big Ten title race before dropping four of their last five games, including a 79-71 loss to 17th-ranked Michigan State on Tuesday, and they hope to get back on track by completing the season sweep of the Wildcats following a 77-61 win on Feb. 15.
Oklahoma State at Texas 4:00 PM ET
Texas looks for a sixth straight win when it hosts Oklahoma State for a Big 12 conference contest on Saturday. The Longhorns are coming off a one-point win at Oklahoma on Tuesday, while the Cowboys enter this game on a two-game winning streak after picking up a home win over Kansas State on Wednesday.
Iowa State at Kansas State 4:00 PM ET
Kansas State will finish off the regular-season portion of a season to forget Saturday when it takes on visiting Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference game. The first-to-worst Wildcats have already lost the most games overall and in conference play in school history and will close with the Cyclones, who have also endured a rough campaign, with both teams likely facing an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament.
Syracuse at Miami-Florida 4:00 PM ET
Syracuse looks to close out the regular season with back-to-back road wins after winning at Boston College 84-71 Tuesday. The Orange have now won three of their last four and can wrap up the fifth seed and a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament with a victory at Miami on Saturday.
Boston College at Florida State 4:30 PM ET
Florida State has never won an ACC regular-season title. That could change Saturday as the eighth-ranked Seminoles look to earn at least a share of the championship - they are tied atop the standings with Louisville - when they put their perfect 15-0 home record on the line against Boston College in the regular-season finale.
Arkansas at Texas A&M 4:30 PM ET
Two potentially scary teams in next week's SEC Tournament square off on Saturday when Arkansas visits Texas A&M in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Razorbacks have won three of four, including a win over LSU on Wednesday, while the Aggies snapped a two-game losing streak with an upset win at No. 15 Auburn on Wednesday.
California at Oregon St. 4:30 PM ET
Two teams hoping to build some much-needed momentum ahead of next week’s Pac-12 tournament meet Saturday when California visits Oregon State. Cal is locked in as the No. 8 seed in the tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while the Beavers are battling Utah and Washington State for the ninth seed.
Utah St. at San Diego St. 5:30 PM ET
Fifth-ranked San Diego State knows it is headed to the NCAA Tournament while Utah State may need to post the upset in Saturday's Mountain West tournament championship game in Las Vegas to be sure of a spot. The second-seeded Aggies are looking to defeat the top-seeded Aztecs in the title game for the second straight season.
North Carolina at Duke 6:00 PM ET
No. 11 Duke will need some help to get a share of the ACC regular-season title, but the Blue Devils’ aim is to head into the conference tournament with some momentum when they host improving rival North Carolina on Saturday night. Duke has lost three of five to drop one game behind Louisville and Florida State entering the regular-season finale, but rolled over North Carolina State 88-69 last time out on Monday.
Oklahoma at Texas Christian 6:00 PM ET
Oklahoma suffered a heartbreaking loss in its final home game of the regular season and is hoping to hand TCU a similar fate in the Horned Frogs’ home finale Saturday. The Sooners were victims Tuesday of a banked-in 3-pointer from Texas guard Matt Coleman III with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation that was the deciding bucket in a 52-51 setback to the Longhorns.
Mississippi at Mississippi State 6:30 PM ET
Mississippi State will likely need to make some noise in the conference tourney if it has any chance of earning an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will try to gain some momentum entering next week's event when they host SEC rival Ole Miss on Saturday in the finale of the regular season.
DePaul at Providence 6:30 PM ET
Entering the month of February with a grueling schedule ahead, Providence appeared a 50-50 bet at best just to make it to the National Invitation Tournament. Now, after picking off one ranked opponent after another, the Friars have thrust themselves into the NCAA Tournament conversation but cannot afford a slip-up against visiting DePaul on Saturday afternoon.
Washington St. at Arizona State 6:30 PM ET
Arizona State appeared to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament just two weeks ago, but the invitation may be on hold following three straight losses. The Sun Devils look to get back in the win column on Saturday against visiting Washington State in the regular-season finale for both teams.
George Washington at Dayton 7:00 PM ET
Third-ranked Dayton seeks to wrap up a perfect Atlantic 10 season and a school-record 29th victory when it hosts George Washington on Saturday. The Flyers have won 19 straight games - their most in a season since the 1951-52 team claimed 20 in a row during a 28-5 campaign - after an 84-57 romp at Rhode Island on Wednesday that left Rams coach David Cox in awe.
Southern Methodist at South Florida 7:00 PM ET
After sitting near the top of the American Athletic Conference standings for much of the season, Southern Methodist will not be playing for a bye when it travels to South Florida on Saturday for its final game of the regular season. Since upsetting Houston on Feb. 15, the Mustangs have dropped four of five games, including a road loss to last-place Tulane, a blowout by Tulsa and surrendering a 24-point second half lead against Wichita State.
Temple at Cincinnati 8:00 PM ET
Having won five of its last six games, Tulsa closes the regular season with a two-game road trip, beginning with a matchup against Temple on Wednesday. The Golden Hurricane crushed the Owls in the first meeting this season, posting a 70-44 victory as Jeriah Horne scored 23 points and Brandon Rachal chipped in 19.
Temple at Cincinnati 8:00 PM ET
Cincinnati hopes to earn a share of the American Athletic Conference title this weekend, but first the Bearcats need to defeat visiting Temple on Saturday. A win by the Bearcats can put pressure on first-place Tulsa, which would claim the league outright with a victory at Wichita State on Sunday and, at worst, can share the crown with Cincinnati and/or Houston.
Butler at Xavier 8:30 PM ET
Butler and Xavier meet for the second time in less than a month in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday in Cincinnati. If Xavier prevails at home, it would finish in a tie for fifth in the Big East standings with No. 25 Butler and possibly Marquette.
Washington at Arizona 10:00 PM ET
Arizona shook off its recent malaise with a dominant second half Thursday night in a win over visiting Washington State. The Wildcats look to ride that momentum in Saturday night’s regular-season finale against visiting Washington.
Stanford at Oregon 11:00 PM ET
Oregon will have the Pac-12 title in its sights on Saturday when the 13th-ranked Ducks face visiting Stanford, which remains squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Oregon is tied with UCLA for first place in the conference heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale, while Stanford needs a victory after its four-game winning streak came to an end with Thursday’s loss to Oregon State.
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